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The 51-year-old divorced mother-of-four said she was travelling back from a garden centre to her home in Pishill, near Henley-on-Thames, at 40-50mph on July 15 last year. She was with her four-year-old daughter and her long-term boyfriend.

The former parish church bell ringer said she had not seen the cyclists coming from the other direction when she overtook, and thought there was 'sufficient room' to make the manoeuvre.

Measures said she was 'surprised' to see Mr Pontin and his girlfriend coming towards her as she rounded the curve in the road - but felt they still had enough room to get past.

'I don’t know why I didn’t see them,' she said.

'I had to make a decision of what to do. I felt the safest decision was to continue straight ahead because they were in single file.

'If I had been concerned, I would have stopped suddenly.'

Mr Pontin had earlier told the jury he saw Measures make a 'stupid manoeuvre' in front of them on a bend in the A415.

Describing the moment the oncoming car overtook the cyclists on the opposite side of the road, he said: 'I just couldn’t believe the person driving had overtaken at that point.'

Miss Perinova, shown here with her parents and younger brother, died after the collision in July 2012

Mr Pontin said he was forced to aim for a 'tiny' gap and then felt his girlfriend’s wheel touch the back of his bike before looking around and seeing she had been flung 15 yards away in the collision.

Her body lay motionless at the entrance to a field. Her helmet was smashed, and Mr Pontin said it was unclear whether she had been struck by the defendant’s Mini.

Miss Perinova was initially rushed to the Royal Berkshire Hospital, in Reading, before being transferred to a specialist neurological unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where she later died.

Taking to the stand, Measures, who has previously been on family cycling holidays, said she did not have a chance to break.

She said the first cyclist, Mr Pontin, went past her. However, Miss Perinova came at her at 'right angles' after losing control of her bike.

In a heated exchange at Oxford Crown Court, Measures was challenged by prosecutor Sandra Beck, who said: 'You are relying on other road users avoiding you when you are on their side of the road?'

Measures replied: 'I can’t help it if a cyclist, with all due respect, falls over as I’m approaching them and comes into my line of travel.

'I would expect cyclists to generally remain upright as the first cyclist did and went past.

'When I looked, it was sufficiently clear not to stop me doing that manoeuvre.

'You do not make a manoeuvre if you don’t think it is safe to do so.

'Had everyone stayed upright, there would not have been an issue.

'I had my daughter in the car. I do not drive without due care and attention.'